


Target Engaged

by ChickenXD



Category: Hatoful Kareshi | Hatoful Boyfriend
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, Multi, Spies, and murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-05-18 20:29:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 18,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5942022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChickenXD/pseuds/ChickenXD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuuya receives a mission to take down... a certain Kawara Ryuuji.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> pink panther music in the bg

It was raining that day. 

I remember clearly – when I arrived home, someone was sitting outside, shivering the rain, wearing only black hoodie and jeans – 

It was Ryouta. 

His messy blue hair, his slim figure – it could only be him. 

But what had brought him here today? 

 

“Ryouta?” 

He looked up to me – his eyes were swollen from crying, but he forced a smile at me, as always. 

“Hiyoko…”

“What are you doing here?” I quickly placed my umbrella so it could cover him. “You could’ve called me! You know I’d rush home from work…”

He shook his head, smiling weakly. 

That was when I realized that his left arm was bleeding – he had been pressing down the wound with his right hand, but the sleeve of his clothes were still soaked with blood, dripping onto the pavement – 

“Who did this to you? Did you… did you get into a fight?”

I quickly got out my keys to unlock the door, but Ryouta grabbed my hand, stopping me. 

“Dad…”

 

Wait, his dad… did this to him? 

No, that sounds… that sounds almost impossible.

 

“It’s no good. I can’t stop him…”

“What do you mean, Ryouta? Did he do this to you?”

“I’m…” I could hear the crack in Ryouta’s voice, “I’m… useless. I’m his son, and yet...”

~•~

Ryouta was awfully quiet once we got into my house. Usually he’s cheerful and active, but that day he just sat on the couch, blankly looking down at the floor. 

“Take off your hoodie.”

So he did. The wound on his arm wasn’t big, but quite deep – it looked like someone slashed him with a knife.

“Did your dad do this to you?” I asked, “Cause if he did, I’m going to personally throw him off a cliff.”

Ryouta shook his head. 

I dabbed some alcohol around the wound, making Ryouta hiss in pain – it hurt me to see him suffer, but I had to clean the wound. I placed some cotton, then bandaged around the area – some blood was still seeping through, but at least it’s dressed. 

“You should get changed,” I said, getting up to walk to my room. Some of my shirts are unisex anyways, so they should fit him –

Ryouta remained silent the entire time, only looking at his bandaged arm. 

I handed him a shirt, shorts, and a towel, and he excused himself to the bathroom. He walked out a few minutes later, bone dry except for his hair and eyes. 

“I’ll make you tea,” I said, rummaging through my cupboard. I never had a lot of guests to start with…

Ryouta only watched quietly – which is strange, because usually he’d say something like “you don’t have to” or ask for something else. 

The atmosphere felt really heavy, with Ryouta being sad and solemn like this. If he was crying or anything, it would be a lot less tense, but he was just silent, like a statue. 

 

“I got into a fight.”

“...with your dad?”

Ryouta nodded. 

“But he didn’t hurt me. I was just careless and got slashed by the sharp end of a machine.”

“...you expect me to believe that?”

“It’s true, Hiyoko.”

“...alright, alright.”

 

“Hiyoko, can I… stay here?

“I really don’t want to go home. I’d rather pretend that I have no idea what’s going on than be there and do nothing.”

“...what’s going on, then, Ryouta?”

“Hiyoko…”

Ryouta looked up to me – he was smiling, but there were tears brimming in his eyes. 

“...sorry. I’d tell you if I know…”

 

Ryouta is… really similar to his dad. 

Smiling all the time, even when something terrible happens, even when they’re sad…

But Ryouta’s different. He’s… not as good at hiding things as his dad, for better or worse. 

I think it’s for the better. 

 

You can never guess what Kawara Ryuuji is thinking, what he is planning, or how he is feeling. 

His warm smile and happy eyes were like a mask he constantly wears. 

As if that mask is now a part of his soul. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

“Kawara Ryuuji?”

“Yes – he will be your next target.”

 

Three men were sitting in a room – one of them had blonde hair, and looked significantly older compared to the other two; across from him, two young men sat next to each other – one of them had light blue hair, held up with hairclips, and glasses, while the other had messy black hair and was wearing a red scarf. 

 

Sakazaki Yuuya took the folder lying on the desk and opened it. The first page contained the profile of a man called Kawara Ryuuji – blue messy hair, bright red eyes, a big smile on his face – he looked like the average pedestrian. 

“What about him?” Yuuya asked, skimming through the rest of the information, “He seems… normal.”

Well of course, you can’t judge a book by its cover. 

“Well, we have a few… suspicions,” Leone replied. “Just find him and investigate for a bit. Won’t hurt.”

“Suspicions, you say, but you’re sending me and Yuuya,” Uzune Hitori sighed, “Shouldn’t he alone be enough?”

“If our suspicions, are confirmed, either of you acting alone won’t do,” Leone replied, “Take him with you, for good measure.”

Hitori and Yuuya looked at each other for a second – Yuuya winked flirtatiously, while Hitori looked away, the annoyance apparent on his face. 

“Can’t wait to work with you again, mon amie ☆~”

“Shut it, Yuuya. It’d be wonderful if you don’t get us killed.”

“Aww, what’s with that attitude?” Yuuya inched closer to Hitori, “Don’t be so cold, I just saved your ass last month!”

“I could’ve saved my own ass if you give me time!” Hitori denied – but his face was flustered. Perhaps Yuuya had been important in this… ass-saving business after all. 

“By the way, Mr. Leone…” Yuuya turned to the papers in the folder again, “It says here Dr. Kawara was a part of the Takaba initiative by the Hawk Party.”

“Wait, wasn’t that project dissolved a few years ago?” Hitori asked, “Because there were reports that they were doing some illegal human experimentation…”

“Yes, indeed; the Takaba project was defunded three years ago, and supposedly all the researchers have been dismissed,” Leone said, “But this world is not perfect, Hitori, and that’s why we’re doing this.”

“So is he trying to revive the project or something?”

“Hopefully you’ll know the answer by the end of this mission.”

Hitori shrugged, “Fair enough.”

“So here’s a place to start, alright.” 

Leone placed an envelope on the table for Hitori and Yuuya to see.

“This is an invitation to a party, addressed to Yamanagi Tora,” Leone explained. “He’s not going to attend it, so you two should go.”

“...us?” Hitori picked up the invitation, “I thought it’s just for one person.”

“Oh, Hitori, I can always sneak my way into the party!” Yuuya bragged, “A party won’t be complete without my sexy and suave presence☆~”

Hitori opened the invitation – it was for a dinner party at the Hachiban Hotel, from seven PM tomorrow up until midnight – 

“Tomorrow?!”

“Hmm, it says alcohol will be served,” Yuuya said, reading over Hitori’s shoulder – “I definitely need to be there, then.”

“Yuuya, we can’t just go there for the booze.”

“We’re definitely going there just for the booze.”

“You’re supposed to be the CEO of a drug company, Hitori,” Leone continued before the two could get further off-topic. “So please behave accordingly.”

“For this party, find Kawara Ryuuji, and see what he’s up to.”

~•~

“And here I thought the Hawks have entirely disappeared…”

“Their activities have been pretty low key,” Hitori said as they walked out, “I don’t know how big or dangerous they are now…”

 

The Hawk Party is a well-known radical party that had planned a coup d’etat three years ago. Unfortunately, they were caught before they could stage it, and their leader was executed. 

Since then, it felt as if the entire country forgot about them – but for an organization like that to have some remnants… perhaps it’s not surprising. 

 

“Anyway, seems like I’ll be your chauffeur tomorrow night.”

“...I suppose.”

“You know, wear that beige suit, the one you wore on the Christmas Party,” Yuuya suggested, “You look really good in it.”

“You don’t get to choose,” Hitori sighed, “Besides, I know almost nothing about this guy right now. Help me research.”

“As you wish, mon cheri~”

 

~•~

“Would you like a martini, sir?”

“...thank you.”

Hitori took a glass from the tray offered by the waiter, and sipped a bit of it. 

Right now, he wasn’t Hitori – he was Yamanagi Tora, hidden behind the skin mask he was wearing.

Yuuya was following him, looking around cautiously. He’d been permitted to go in as Hitori’s ‘bodyguard’ – should anything happen, Yuuya would be the one who would fight.

“I don’t see him around,” Yuuya whispered as they walked around, “Maybe he’s not here.”

Hitori sighed, “Well, why are we even here, then?”

“We’ve come all the way here, so let’s try to get some information, perhaps?”

“This place is full of Hawks,” Hitori grunted, “I hate it.”

“We only need to stay here for three more hours,” Yuuya whispered back, “Try to blend in. It’d be troublesome if you get caught.”

“Mr. Yamanagi!”

Hitori turned around, upon hearing someone call his persona. A middle-aged lady with red hair walked to them, smiling. 

“Why, you must be here to see Dr. Kawara!” she said, “He’s not here today – it seems like he has some family issues, and could not attend the party.”

“I see,” Hitori – or Yamanagi, replied with patient smile. “That’s too bad, but his family issues are more important.”

“Sorry about this… and to think you had come all this way to see him…” 

“It’s alright, I’m totally happy to be here,” Yamanagi said, still smiling – ”It’s always fun to go out and meet people.”

“Please enjoy the party,” she said as she bowed down – “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to tell one of our servants.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Ah, excuse me,” Yuuya interjected – the lady turned to him, surprised, but kept a smile on her face. Yuuya could also feel Hitori glaring at him from behind the mask – 

“Yes, sir?”

“May I know what family issue had prevented Dr. Kawara from coming here?”

“That…” she shook her head with a sigh, “I heard from Isa that his son had run away from home. I believe it’s been a few months now, so he’s putting a lot of effort into finding  him…”

~•~

They managed to make their escape two hours later – they had to stay there longer to avoid suspicion, after all.

Seems like this Yamanagi person was quite well-known, after all – Hitori had quite a few people walk up to him and said hi, and ask how he was doing. Hitori would smile at them, tell them business is going well, and it usually leads to some smalltalk that lasts for a good twenty minutes. Yuuya, too, acted as the most excellent chauffeur, remaining quiet and watchful the whole time.

 

“So that was quite informative.”

Hitori pried off his mask with a sigh of relief. His hair was all messy now, after being trapped in the mask for so long, and his forehead was glistening with sweat.

“Informative?” Hitori whined, “We didn’t even find the man, and I had to stand there for two hours, in this mask, talking crap to people!”

“But we did find out a rather interesting piece of information,” Yuuya replied – he then stepped on the brakes, stopping in front of the red light.

“It did say on Ryuuji’s profile that he has a son,” Hitori said with a sigh, taking out his phone – “I’m going to tell Leone we didn’t find him.”

“Do you think this kid will want to help us?”

“Yuuya, I never had a dad to start with. I don’t know what it feels like to be a son.”

The car started moving again as the light turned green. Yuuya was quiet now, focusing on driving properly. 

 

The city was still bright and bustling at eleven PM – there were people out on the streets, shopping, or perhaps seeking other entertainments. 

Perhaps it is as they say – the city never sleeps. Even in the dead darkness of the night, something is always happening in the shadows. Then morning will come, and it would be as if everything had vanished in the darkness, forgotten. 

 

“Leone says he’ll meet us tomorrow.”

“Sounds good,” Yuuya replied. “Do you want me to take you home, or do you want to just stay over at my place?”

“I’ll go home,” Hitori replied with a sigh, “I’m tired.”

“We’re closer to my place right now, though,” Yuuya offered, “If traffic’s good, we’ll get there in five minutes.”

Hitori was silent for a while – this seem to be an important factor in his decision making process. Should he go with Yuuya, where he’d have to sleep on the couch and only has a few clothes, or go home, where it’ll take longer, but he would have all the space to himself – 

“Come on,” Yuuya said, stopping by another red light – “Turn right to my place or left to your house?”

“...fine, go right.”


	3. Chapter 3

“A job?”

Ryouta nodded enthusiastically. 

“This way, I can… hopefully save up, and get my own place,” Ryouta said – “I mean, I graduated from college last year, so… I guess it’s about time I move out.”

“Wait, what kind of job is this?”

“I’m going to be a style advisor,” he replied. “For the great Nishikikouji Tohri!”

Nishikikouji Tohri? I feel like I’ve heard that name before…

“He runs the CHICken magazine!”

...what’s that again?

Ah, he must mean the fashion magazine that comes out every Sunday. 

 

Ryouta had been living with me for over three months now, and he had never left the house without me. 

Not like he ever had any reason to go out anyway, since he didn’t have a job, but he spent all his time at home cleaning and doing his thing. Maybe he’d been looking for a job. 

His wound had fully healed now, although it left a big scar. Aside from the day when he moved in with me, we never talked about it or his dad. 

Frankly, I’m… somewhat pleased the problem just died away. I don’t imagine it’d be a very pleasant conversation…

 

Whenever I come home from work, I’d find the TV tuned to the news channel. 

It’s strange. Ryouta usually doesn’t watch TV – he just watches movies with me, if that counts. Him watching the news do intently like that –

– it felt as if he was waiting for something to happen. 

~•~

“Hitori, you awake?”

Yuuya was looking at something on his laptop, occasionally scrolling and then stopping. He was smoking – a habit he’d picked up from Leone, except that he preferred cigarettes – he found that they were somewhat good for his nerves before a mission. 

Hitori was lying down next to him on the couch, under the blanket. He’d gotten changed into one of Yuuya’s T-shirts now, that were obviously too big for him, and wearing his own boxers. 

“Sort of,” Hitori replied sleepily, “Why?”

“This Kawara Ryouta is pretty interesting,” Yuuya said, blowing out smoke from his mouth. “There’s no missing person report or anything on him.”

“I thought his dad is pretty damn worried.”

“I mean, I guess it’s possible to find someone just using private detectives,” Yuuya went on – “Doesn’t this imply that Kawara Ryuuji has something to hide from the police?”

“Hmm…” Hitori yawned, “Maybe.”

“I haven’t found any bank transactions, phone calls, or anything of the sort either.” Yuuya typed something, “The latest thing I found on him is that he closed his bank account and phone account on June 9th… that’s three months ago.”

“How old is this kid again?”

“Quite old,” Yuuya replied – “This school database listed him as a graduate last year, for the Fashion Design degree. Twenty something?”

“He doesn’t need his dad anymore…” 

Hitori fell silent the next second, dead asleep. 

Yuuya gave a patient smile as he pulled the blanket to Hitori’s shoulder. The mission from this evening must’ve been quite tiring –

Yuuya closed his laptop and placed on the coffee table, then laid down next to Hitori, on whatever space was left on the couch. Info on Kawara Ryouta is important, but so is sleep...

Hitori always looked peaceful when sleeping. His eyelids were completely shut, his breathing stable, and his chest was rising and falling regularly –

Yuuya placed a gentle kiss on Hitori’s forehead, then turned off the light. 

“Bonne nuit, mon cheri.”

~•~

A gravestone stood alone in the grassy field. 

A man walked towards the grave, holding a bouquet of white roses. Everything else about him was dark in colour – he was wearing a black coat, black pants, and a red tie.

He walked to the gravestone, stopping a few steps away from it. 

 

“It’s me again, Rei.”

 

He knelt down and placed the bouquet in front of the gravestone. 

He then stared at the gravestone, hard and long – 

– as if wishing for something to come out of it, as if waiting. 

 

“Sorry, I… haven’t been able to find Ryouta.”

He looked away – a pained smile was drawn on his face, and there were tears brimming in his eyes...

“It’s been three months now… I’m pretty terrible at this, huh?”

 

“Usually, you’d already have figured out a way to convince him to go home… 

“But I guess that’s only natural. You’re his mother after all – the two of you must be a lot closer to each other… meanwhile…

“Meanwhile, I’m just… being a useless father.”

 

He held his hands to his face, wiping away a tear before it could fall.

“Rei, I don’t understand anymore,” he cried, “What should I do?

“I’m… I’m really scared, Rei. Everything has been different ever since you left… I… I’m scared. I don’t want to lose Ryouta too…”

 


	4. Chapter 4

“Today on MTT news! An incredible device had been invented, by none other than the great Kawara Ryuuji!

“This device will be able to track brain activities even more precisely than any of the technologies we currently have! Seems like it’s still currently in the experimental stage, but if it works well enough, then we will have a wonderful brain imaging device that will help serve in the medical field!”

~•~

“New shirt, Uzune?”

“Yeah,” Hitori replied, closing the door behind him. “It’s made of boyfriend material, sir.”

Leone couldn’t help but smile at Hitori’s remark. 

“So you and Sakazaki are openly dating now?”

“Well, sir, you keep assigning us together.”

Plus, Hitori knew denying it would be useless, since everyone else in the office was pretty much talking about them anyway. 

And not like it wasn’t true.

“The only shirt I’d left on his apartment was horribly discoloured, because guess what? Yuuya doesn’t know how to use the washing machine.”

“He won’t need to if you’re going to live with him,” Leone said with a smile – “How was the mission?”

“Kawara Ryuuji wasn’t there because he had some… family issues,” Hitori reported, “His son had ran away from home. Yuuya looked into it – it happened about three months ago.”

“Interesting,” Leone remarked – “I hope he won’t mind a bit of questioning from us.”

“If we can find him, that is,” Hitori said with a sigh – “From what Yuuya had found, seems like he’d been trying quite hard to get off the grid, closing his bank account and phone account.”

“Hiding from his father?”

“Perhaps.

“His driver’s license is on the database, so we know what he looks like,” Hitori explained, “For him to not have bank transactions for so long… I think someone must be helping him hide, and taking care of him.”

 

“Did you see the news, by the way?”

“Yuuya told me about it. A brain imaging technology of sorts, yes?”

The door suddenly opened behind Hitori, and Yuuya walked in, holding two cups of coffee. 

“I’m terribly sorry about my lateness, Leone!” Yuuya greeted, “I was just getting my dose of caffeine, you see.”

“Don’t worry, Uzune already filled me in.”

“So we’re going to find Kawara Ryouta next?”

“I suppose,” Leone replied, taking out a cigar. 

“Here’s the thing about Kawara Ryouta,” Yuuya cut in while handing Hitori a cup of coffee – “This kid knows what he’s doing, since I haven’t been able to find anything about him since June 9th. No bank transactions, phone calls, sightings… you name it.”

“He might be dead, then,” Leone said, “There are many missing people nowadays who wound up dead after a few months or years.”

“Aha! Very funny,” Yuuya shook his head, “No corpses found in the past three months match his description.”

“It could’ve been burned.” Hitori shrugged, “I’d burn the body, crush all the bones, especially the jaw and skull, and throw what remains into a sewer.”

“Damn, Hitori, you talk like a murderer,” Yuuya sighed, “I’d hate to investigate a crime you commit.”

“Do you two have any proof this boy did run away from home?”

Hitori and Yuuya turned to Leone, surprised. 

“You mean, sir?”

“I mean, the guests told us so.”

“This conversation about killing just… inspired me,” Leone said – “Could he be dead to start with, and then this story is a cover-up by Kawara Ryuuji himself?”

~•~

“Oh, how utterly depressing!”

Yuuya dramatically placed a hand over his chest and pretended to fall over. 

“It’s tragic enough that we’re looking for a son who ran away from home, and now we’re facing the possibility that he might be dead in his own father’s hands!”

“It’s a very real possibility, though,” Hitori said – “Maybe that’s why he didn’t submit a missing person report in the first place.”

“But, ah…” Yuuya shook his head, “I don’t believe it, mon cheri! I am still certain that this young man is alive out there, perhaps in hiding!”

“Alright,” Hitori said with a sigh, “What makes you believe it so strongly?”

“It is…” Yuuya clicked his tongue, “I don’t know, mon cheri! Perhaps it is a bias – perhaps I just want to believe that no such cruelty is possible – ”

“Stop talking like that.”

“But this… this burning feeling in my heart!” Yuuya exclaimed, “Kawara Ryouta is alive, and I’m certain of it!”

“In other words, a gut feeling.”

Hitori sighed as he sipped some of his coffee – Yuuya is like that sometimes, believing in something without proof and simply because he wanted it to be true. 

But sometimes, when Yuuya wants something to be true… it did come true.

_ Maybe it’s a lucky coincidence _ , Hitori thought.  _ Maybe this time, we won’t be that lucky...  _

  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

_ “And… what colour should we paint this flower in, Ryouta?” _

_ “Purple!” _

_ Ryouta excitedly took the crayon and started to colour the daisy on the colouring book.  _

_ Rei was sitting next to her child, watching patiently. Ryouta’s colourings were messy and the lines were everywhere, but it was quite a good effort for a four year-old. _

_ “Mama, is papa coming home tonight?” _

_ “He is, but he’ll be home very late,” she replied, messing Ryouta’s hair – “I think you’ll be asleep by the time he goes home, but I’ll make sure he goes to see you, alright?” _

_ “What is papa doing that he comes home so late?” _

_ “He’s working hard, Ryouta,” she replied, “Papa is making a new medicine that can save lots of lives!” _

_ “Because papa is a great doctor!” _

_ She smiled and nodded.  _

_ “So we must understand and be patient for him, alright?” _

~•~

“Ryouta, I’m going to the supermarket, you want anything?”

Ryouta didn’t answer.

He was watching the TV intently – he had it tuned to some news channel, and I couldn’t really hear what the anchor was talking about… but it can’t be the weather, since Ryouta is so absorbed in it.

“Ryouta?”

I walked over and grabbed his shoulder, and I swear to god he jumped like a ghost had touched him. 

He turned to me, smiling – 

But his eyes weren’t.

His eyes were fearful – as if he’d just seen a corpse.

 

“Ryouta, what’s wrong?”

“Ah…” Ryouta quickly turned off the TV and shook his head. “It’s… it’s nothing serious.”

“Really?” I asked – 

Something bad must’ve been on the news if Ryouta is trying to hide it from me, right? 

Then what is it? What’s so bad that I can’t be allowed to find out?

 

“...really?”

“Really,” he said, still smiling. 

 

I don’t like this.

When Ryouta smiles like that, it means he’s hiding something from me. That there’s something he doesn’t want me to know…

...but what is it?

 

“If… if you’re going to the store, please buy some butter and eggs, alright? I’m going to make pie tonight.”

“...alright then.”

 

So I left. 

The store isn’t too far away – thanks to my lenient schedule as a high school coach, I usually have time to go there in the morning, put things back at home, and then catch the bus to work before nine. 

 

It was a beautiful day outside. 

The sun was shining brightly, and the air was warm. The streets were full of people as always, going to work or to school. That’s the good and bad thing about living near the centre of the city – there’s always people around you. 

 

“Good morning, Tosaka.”

“Ah, good morning, Sakuya!” I greeted my neighbour, “Are you going to the store as well?”

“I’m going to the cafe down the street,” he replied, “I promised to meet a few old friends there.”

“That sounds fun! Are you guys going somewhere?”

We walked together to the intersection, which was already crowded – the light was red, but seems like it should turn green soon, since the green light on the other intersection is flashing.

“We’re just going, to do this project,” he replied –  

“What about you, Tosaka? Don’t you have a friend staying over?”

“Yeah, that’s right!” I replied, “Have you ever met him before?”

“Not really,” Sakuya replied – “Also, you shouldn’t live with a man out of wedlock like that. It arouses suspicions, you know.”

The light turned green, and people started crossing the road, so we walked, too.

“Oh, come on, Sakuya,” I sighed – “I’ve known his family since elementary school, so it doesn’t really matter!”

It was after I said that that I thought about everything that had been happening – 

 

I met Ryouta back in elementary school. Ryouta was still a girl then. 

I remember that he’d always go to the infirmary because of his stomach ache – sometimes it gets so bad he has to go home.

Even so, Ryouta was always smiling, always happy.

His parents were also very friendly to me. His mum often comes to school, and she makes the best chocolate cakes. His dad was always busy – typical of doctors, perhaps – so I never knew him that well, but when we do meet, he’d always tell jokes and play games with us...

 

Ryouta’s mum died two years ago, and since then, his dad had seemed…

...I never saw it myself, but Ryouta said he’s been acting strange since then. 

To me, his dad is the same as always – always smiley and cheerful to everyone, but then again, I don’t know what he’s like in private. 

And now Ryouta had run away from home, because he had a fight with his father…

 

Perhaps, everything I’d known about the Kawara family had been wrong…

  
  


And then after that…

...after that, everything became dark and blurry. 

I felt a strong force pushing me from the left, and then I fell down –

 

Everything became dark.

I could hear people screaming. I could smell smoke. 

I tried to get up, but my whole body was hurting.

The darkness slowly fades away, and I was once again able to see the light, feel the sun. 

 

Another woman had fallen face down next to me, blood gushing out of her forehead. 

What about Mr. Sakuya? What became of him?

 

I felt someone holding my hand. 

“Can you hear me? Tosaka?”

I tried to answer, but it was as if my voice had disappeared. 

 

Everything faded away into the darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

_ The world is unfair. _

 

Kawara Ryuuji entered the room, where a boy was sitting on the bed, staring blankly out of the window. 

The boy didn’t seem to notice that he’d walked in – or perhaps he just didn’t care. 

Either way, he kept looking out of the window. 

 

The boy was still very young – his documents said he was four years old, and he did seem to be around that age. 

There were bandages wrapped around his head, covering his right eye. His right arm was on a sling, too, and Ryuuji later noticed some bandages around his neck. 

Ryuuji pulled a chair and sat down next to the bed. 

 

“Ichijou Utsuro?”

The boy continued to look out of the window for a minute, but then he turned to look at Ryuuji, upon hearing his name being called. 

“My name is Kawara Ryuuji,” he introduced himself – “I’m a neurologist. I’ve been requested to examine your condition.”

Utsuro was now staring into Ryuuji’s eyes – blankly, and yet intently. 

As if they were the only things he could see.

 

_ Maybe he’s still in shock.  _

_ I’m not surprised, since he just lost both his parents… it must’ve been tough for him. _

_ I should try to be supportive and understanding.  _

“Utsuro-kun?” Ryuuji gave his biggest smile, trying to be friendly – “Don’t worry! I’m not going to give you injections or take your blood or anything! We’re just going to – ”

 

“Your eyes.”

His voice was so soft, almost faint, yet cold. 

 

Utsuro slowly reached out his hands, reaching for Ryuuji’s face – 

Ryuuji let him – Utsuro gently touched Ryuuji’s cheek with his little right hand, and let it slide down his face.

He was still staring intently at Ryuuji’s eyes, as if hypnotized by them.

“Your eyes,” Utsuro muttered, as if in amazement – “They’re red.”

“Ah, yeah…” Ryuuji smiled sheepishly, “It’s a rare recessive genetic condition! My wife has it too, you see – but we can see just fine, so don’t worry about it!”

“They’re pretty,” Utsuro said – “Really, really bright red…”

~•~

“I feel sorry for him…”

“Yeah,” Ryuuji replied, spooning some chocolate cake into his mouth – “Losing his parents at such a young age… it will severely affect his emotional development.”

“But he’s healthy, isn’t he?” Rei asked, “Aside from the injuries from the bombing?”

Ryuuji nodded. 

“I’m… somewhat confused, though,” he sighed – “There’s no damage anywhere in his visual cortex, and yet he can only see the colour red.”

“You know, maybe there’s no brain damage to start with,” she suggested – “Aren’t there people who become temporarily blind after a really traumatic event – ”

“Hysterical blindness?”

“Yeah! That’s the word!” She smiled proudly – “But maybe it’s just one of those cases! So it can go away!”

“You make it sound so easy,” Ryuuji said –

He then leaned over, placing a kiss on Rei’s cheek. 

“But that’s alright,” he said with a smile – “I hope it’s as you say.”

Rei smiled, and lovingly messed her husband’s hair. 

“So what’s going to happen to him now?” she asked, “Is he going to live with his relatives?”

“Not too sure about that part,” Ryuuji replied – “Seems like they haven’t really decided on that yet, and the only relative he had isn’t in this country…

“It’s terrible.”

 

Thinking back to the little boy, sitting on the hospital bed by the window –

Staring out into a world that had now entirely changed, that had lost all colour. 

Who can help him now? Who will take care of him – who will he rely on?

 

_ I want to protect him.  _

_ He seems… so vulnerable, so lonely.  _

_ I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.  _

 

“You should bring him home sometime.”

Rei stood up and gathered the dishes to wash – 

“I mean, I don’t know if we can adopt him,” she said, “But he should at least feel what it’s like to have a family.”

 

_ The world is unfair. _

_ What is the point of humans living in this world? _

_ Did god create humans, just so he can watch us struggle to survive? Are we nothing but miserable puppets to him? _

 

~8~

 

Ryouta was in the middle of cleaning the bookshelves when he heard the doorbell ring. 

_ Hiyoko must’ve returned, _ he thought as he walked towards the door – 

 

When he opened it, he found a young man with light blue hair standing outside the door. 

Ryouta had never seen him before – but he seems to be around Ryouta’s age, and his facial features seem… different – perhaps he’s of European descent? He was dressed nicely, though, like a college student, and he was huffing and panting – 

“H… hello,” Ryouta greeted nervously, “How may I…”

“This is Tosaka Hiyoko’s house, yeah?”

Ryouta nodded. 

“There was a hit and run, and she was one of the victims,” the young man said – “Sorry to be the harbinger of bad news, but I thought you should know.”

Ryouta felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing the news – 

 

_ Hiyoko…  _

_ She was… in an accident? _

 

“Wait, is she okay now?”

“She was unconscious, but she’d been brought to the hospital,” the young man replied – “I can take you there if you want.”

“Yes, please – ”

 

“Don’t!”

A voice at the back of Ryouta’s head was screaming, and he remembered – 

_...the news.  _

_ If dad is… if dad had finished with whatever he was doing, that means… _

 

“Hey.”

Sakuya grabbed Ryouta’s shoulder, looking into his eyes. 

“You okay?” he asked, “You seem… you seem really panicked.”

“Ah, I’m… I’m fine,” Ryouta replied, forcing a smile – “I’m just… really worried. About… about Hiyoko, I mean.” 

“One can’t help but worry,” Sakuya said, “If you want to see her now, I don’t mind taking you to the – ”

“It’s alright!” Ryouta retreated back into the house, “I just… need to think this through for a bit. Thanks for the offer, though.”

“Wait – ”

 

Too late. 

Ryouta slammed the door shut and locked the latch, and sat down on the floor. 

 

The world suddenly felt so bleak, the air so heavy.

“Hiyoko…”

Ryouta sighed as he covered his eyes with his hands. He could feel the emotions welling in his chest, could feel his eyes getting hot with tears –

“...what should I do?”

 


	7. Chapter 7

“If you truly believe this world is unfair and terrible, then that’s fine.

“I mean, nothing can be perfect in reality, you see. No matter how hard we try, that’s just the truth. The world is flawed, and it will always be.

“So isn’t it up to us to decide what we want, and how we want to live? If we want to change the world, shouldn’t we be allowed to change it as we want – it’s our right as the citizens of this world, isn’t it?”

~•~

Utsuro stepped into the house, staring forward blankly. 

The bandages around his right eye had been removed – now there were only bandages around his head and his right arm. Still, Ryuuji held his hand, guiding him as he walked. 

Rei emerged from the kitchen, holding a batch of tarts in her hands, when she noticed Utsuro and Ryuuji walk in –

“Ohh! Hello there!”

She placed the pie on the table before walking towards Ryuuji and Utsuro. Utsuro looked up to her slowly, but his eyes showed a glimmer of interest and surprise.

“Hey there!” Rei knelt down in front of Utsuro, so that their eyes were on the same level – “What’s your name?”

“...Utsuro,” he replied softly, “Ichijou Utsuro.”

“My name is Rei,” she said, offering a hand for Utsuro to shake. “Kawara Rei… or Yukimura Rei… anyway.” She sighed, “It’s troublesome once you get married.”

Utsuro continued to stare at her intently – 

As if he was inspecting her, trying to find something in her eyes, but couldn’t find it.

“Anyway, I just finished making strawberry tarts!” She stood up, taking his hand – “Let’s eat it while it’s fresh!”

“Rei is really good at cooking, you know,” Ryuuji said, “She can make just about any dessert you can think of!”

“Oh, come on, Ryuuji, I’m not at that level yet,” she said, “I mean, I can make the desserts you eat, but that’s not everything in the world.”

~•~

Sakuya pressed the doorbell for the fourth time, then sighed as he waited for a response. 

Yesterday he’d come to Hiyoko’s house to tell her… housemate about the accident, and he slammed the door on Sakuya –

Sakuya somehow didn’t feel angry about it. 

_ It was too sudden _ , Sakuya thought –  _ I totally understand if he needs some time to swallow this news… _

_ But really, I didn’t even introduce myself. That was rude of me – Yuuya would give me an earful if he ever finds out.  _

The door finally opened –

The young man with messy blue hair and bright red eyes opened the door, smiling. However, his eyes were swollen, and he looked like he hadn’t had much sleep...

 

“Ah, you’re the one from yesterday…”

“That’s right.” Sakuya gave a nod, “Sorry for my brash attitude yesterday. I didn’t even introduce myself.”

“It’s alright! I’m…” He paused for a second, as if hesitating – “My name’s Ryouta.”

“My name is Shirogane Le Bel Sakuya,” Sakuya introduced himself. “I live next door. Unit 503.”

“Ahh, Hiyoko talked about you a few times,” Ryouta said – “She said you’re taking a master’s degree in business. That’s really awesome!”

 

Now that Sakuya had a closer look, Ryouta actually didn’t seem to be much older or younger than him. 

His body was slim, almost like a woman’s body, and for some reason, Sakuya couldn’t help but feel that Ryouta’s face was quite feminine –

_...but he’s flat chested.  _

_ Maybe he just looks a lot like his mum, just like how I look a lot like maman… _

 

“I’ve visited Tosaka yesterday evening,” Sakuya explained – “Her father’s taking care of her. Her left arm and leg are broken and it’ll take a while before she can walk again, but she only has a mild concussion.”

“I see.” Ryouta nodded slowly, “That’s… good for her.”

“She’s really concerned about you,” Sakuya went on – “She told me to move in with you until she recovers… but that’s difficult, because I have too many things at home,” Sakuya explained – “So I suggest you live with me.”

“Ah…” Ryouta shook his head – somewhat nervously, Sakuya noted – “It’s alright. I’ve been staying with Hiyoko for so long… I think it’s time I move somewhere else.”

“May I ask why you’ve been living with her?”

“It’s just… I can’t find an apartment,” Ryouta said sheepishly – “But I got a job offer recently, so I should be able to afford my own flat soon enough…”

“Not soon enough,” Sakuya cut – “I suggest you live in my place until you actually start working.”

Ryouta seemed rather surprised at this proposal –

Not just that, but he was blushing really brightly, and Sakuya could tell from his eyes that he was anxious. 

“Don’t worry,” Sakuya said, “I have a girlfriend. I won’t do anything to you.”

The former part was actually a lie, but not the latter – although Sakuya couldn’t help but find Ryouta rather attractive. 

“That… that’s not why, uh…” Ryouta scratched the back of his head – “I… I just feel like I’m giving everyone a lot of trouble, and…”

“I don’t mind a housemate for a few months,” Sakuya said – “Pack your clothes. I’ll get the guest bedroom ready.”

“W… wait, Sakuya!”

~•~

Sakuya’s house was very different from Hiyoko.

Actually, in terms of structure, they are exactly the same, except that Sakuya’s house is the mirror image of Hiyoko’s – but the decorations inside were totally different. Hiyoko barely had anything hung on the wall (except that one picture of Dwayne Johnson because… bodybuilding goals) – Sakuya’s house looked almost like an art museum. 

There were a lot of paintings hung on the wall, and there was some classical music playing when Ryouta got in.

“Your room’s on the second floor,” Sakuya said while placing few thick books on his table – “It has a bird on the door. Sorry if it’s still kind of messy – my brother puts a lot of his things there.”

“Wait, if I use that room, what about your brother?”

“He doesn’t live here anymore,” Sakuya explained – “Used to, but after he graduated he got a job and it’s kind of far from here, so he moved. He never bothered to bring any of his things with him, though…

“Which is reasonable.” Sakuya sighed, “Most of them are just porn.”

“...ehhh?”

“But don’t worry about it,” he went on – “He comes back here every once in a while, but I’m sure he won’t mind his room being used.

“Are you hungry? Should I cook something?”

“Ah… I’ll cook, it’s alright,” Ryouta offered – “I always cook for Hiyoko, too.”

“But you’re my guest – ”

“Which means I should try to give you as little trouble as possible,” Ryouta said as he walked to the kitchen – “Don’t worry about housework – I don’t mind doing them for you.”

“Well…” Sakuya shrugged, “Sure, I guess.”

_ I wonder what Yuuya would say about this development… _

_ Who cares. He’ll probably just make fun of me. This is a win-win situation for us both anyway.  _


	8. Chapter 8

“This device will be implanted through a small incision just under the ear – ”

The picture on the screen changed to that of a human’s head anatomy. There was a red circle around the ear, and in the centre of it was a small red dot. 

“It will be a relatively painless process, and once the device is implanted, it will send waves of a certain frequency to the entire brain, thus controlling the subject’s movements. 

“In the version that has been released, the waves are concentrated at the amygdala, which controls emotions, and thus can help control the emotions of those who has anxiety or depression. In the real version, the waves will also control the decision making and impulse control centre at the frontal lobe and shut them off.”

“So…” 

All eyes turned to a young lady at the corner of the room, who had raised her hand. 

“There is no way the person’s consciousness can take over?”

“No – they will obey only what is told to them through these waves. 

“The device that controls these waves are still in development, but in a few months we expect simple commands to be functional.”

 

“That was a splendid presentation, Doctor Isa.”

“Thank you.”

A brown-haired young man bowed down politely. The older man who was talking to him laughed, and pat him on the back. 

“Ryuuji sure trained you well,” the older man said, “This device he’d created is quite remarkable as well – I expected no less of the leader of the Takaba initiative.”

Isa looked around the room, and saw Ryuuji talking to a young lady – she had short black hair, and was wearing a blue dress. They seem to be involved in some intense conversation.

“Ahh, Doctor Isa!” Another man walked over to them, holding a glass of wine in his hand – “That just now was splendid!”

“Thank you, sir.”

Isa then noticed a hand grabbing his waist – the feeling of being touched so suddenly certainly made him uncomfortable, but he tried to keep his composure. It must’ve been the second man, since the first one was still standing right in front of Isa –

He glanced at Ryuuji – he was still talking with the lady, and it looked like their conversation could go on for a long, long time.

“This would be an interesting project to do if we want to revive the Takaba Initiative,” the first man said – “This way, we can take over… not only the government, but also the world.”

“That would be very exciting to watch. Even if we only get a few people… say, a hundred or so, if they’re willing to do what we want, we can make some chaos.”

“I’m sure that isn’t what Doctor Kawara intended,” Isa interjected, “Although this device will have the ability to control people’s minds, I believe – ”

“Oh, come on now, Isa,” the second man said – Isa could feel him squeezing his ass, but still remained silent – “We have to make the best use of our technology, don’t you think?”

“But still…”

“Well, that’s true!”

The three of them quickly turned to the voice – Ryuuji was walking towards them, and the lady he was talking to seem to have wandered off to get some drinks. 

“But perhaps the best use of this technology might not be anarchy!” Ryuuji said, a big smile on his face – “It would certainly be interesting to see what the president will do for us under mind control, though!”

“Hahaha!”

“That’s right, Ryuuji. Would be very interesting indeed.”

“By the way, have you tried these chocolate tarts?” Ryuuji handed one to the second man – he took it, effectively taking his hand off Isa’s body – ”They’re really good! I think they have walnuts in them. 

“Also…”

Ryuuji grabbed the second man by his shoulder, and leaned over to his ear – 

“You better keep that hand to yourself, Mr. Arato,” he whispered, “Unless you’d like to donate it for my experiments, that is.”

~•~

“Who was that woman, Kawara-sensei?”

“Hmm… frankly, I don’t know,” Ryuuji replied, popping a chocolate-covered strawberry into his mouth – “She’s nice, though! She’s genuinely interested in the device and what we’re doing with it.”

“...I’m glad to hear that.”

“By the way, Isa-kun…” Ryuuji whined as he wrapped an arm around Isa’s shoulder, “If anyone dares touch you like that next time, don’t hesitate to scream, alright?”

“But then they’ll think…”

“Shh, Isa-kun!” Ryuuji shook his head and brought up his index finger to Isa’s lips – “Nononono. Don’t worry about what  _ they _ think. You’re my precious darling, and I won’t let them do whatever they want to you just because they can, alright?”

Isa couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter upon hearing that. 

_ Kawara-sensei… really does care about me, after all.  _

_ It makes me happy to know that despite everything, he still loves me.  _

 

“But Kawara-sensei, why have you decided to work with these people? You never intended to use this device to wreak havoc.”

“Well, Isa-kun… if they’re willing to pay good money for it, I don’t see a problem…”

Ryuuji looked away, taking another strawberry and putting it into his mouth.

“Perhaps, out of chaos, something good can be born,” he said – “Like the Big Bang! Millions of particles in disarray, and then coming together, and BOOM!” Ryuuji threw his hands up in the air, “A new world is born!

“Besides, my puppets will need a stage to dance on.”

Ryuuji turned to Isa, smiling mischievously. 

“It’ll be just like the apocalypse, Isa-kun!” he exclaimed, “It’ll come like a thief, a surprise in the night – and before they knew it, everything will be over, everything will disappear – and there’s nothing they can do about it!”

~•~

Hitori rushed to the car, pulling off the wig he was wearing. He quickly opened the door to his car, and seated himself at the front.

“How was the dinner, milady?”

“Would you please stop that,” Hitori hissed as he threw the wig to the back seat – Yuuya immediately locked the door, and stepped on the gas.

“God, I’m never wearing a dress again,” he complained – “It… I don’t know. Feels like my dick was hanging.”

“Did you sneak out any food for me?”

“I only got to drink a glass of coke, okay,” Hitori sighed – “Anyway, I managed to catch Kawara Ryuuji and talk to him. So…

“The device they’re making is implanted under the ear that can send waves to the brain and shut off impulse control and decision making, making the user a puppet, basically…”

Hitori took out a small notebook from the pocket of his blue dress.

“The version that’s out right now can only send these wavelengths to the amygdala and control emotions. Seems like they’re still developing the mind-control version.”

“Can these be taken out?”

“Not according to Kawara. He said it can be done – it’ll just be a very dangerous process compared to putting it in,” Hitori explained – “Like… brain damage, internal bleeding, memory loss, and death.”

“I want nothing to do with that thing, then,” Yuuya said with a sigh. 

“I asked Kawara about the controls for these devices – seems like he’ll have one machine to control a certain amount, like a machine for every twenty implants.”

“He’ll be selling the rights to these things, then?”

“Maybe.

“There was this kid that accompanies Kawara,” Hitori continued – “His name is Isa Souma. Long brown hair, purple eyes, red glasses. Pretty young, no more than thirty-three, I think. Kawara seems… incredibly protective of him.”

“I’ll look into him,” Yuuya said, “You hungry? We can stop by Grillby’s…”

Hitori gave no answer. 

When Yuuya looked, Hitori had fallen asleep, his head leaning on the window. 

Yuuya could only sigh, stepping harder on the gas, dashing into the night. 

“...I guess you’re staying over at my place again?”

 


	9. Chapter 9

“And then Momotaro and his friends – the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant, went to the island full of demons…”

“Isa! Isa!”

Ryouta sat back up – much to Isa’s disappointment. Right when the story was ending, too…

“What?”

“What are demons like, Isa?” Ryouta asked – “Do they eat humans? Are they big and scary?”

“Well, the kinds that eat humans are known as cannibals,” Isa explained, “And… some of them are big and scary, but some can also be small.”

“Are there demons in this world too, Isa?”

“Some people believe there are,” Isa replied – “I don’t believe it, though. I think there are just bad and good people.”

“Then doesn’t it mean bad people are demons?”

“Not necessarily,” Isa replied – “Well… some people can seem good to some people, but bad to others…”

“No, Isa! When someone is bad, they’re just bad!” Ryouta whined, “They’re naughty and no good at all! They should all be put in prison!”

Well, how do you explain the ambiguity of evil to a five year-old, after all?

 

“My, seems like you two are having an interesting conversation.”

The door opened, and Rei walked into the room.

“Mama!” Ryouta threw his arms in the air excitedly – “Mama! Will you sleep with me tonight?”

“Yes, dear.” She turned to Isa, “You can go to sleep too, Isa – or do you have anything to do for school tomorrow?”

~•~

“Morning, love.”

Yuuya lightly kissed Hitori on the cheek, making Hitori stir in the couch slash bed, yawning. He opened his eyes briefly, looking at Yuuya, then yawned again and rolled over to continue sleeping. 

“I did take that dress off you, by the way,” Yuuya said casually while sitting down – “You’re now wearing my boxers and shirt.”

“...you can get me changed without waking me up?”

“You make it sound like that’s an incredible feat,” Yuuya said with a chuckle – “I’ve sucked your dick before, of course I know how to do these things.”

“They’re totally unrelated factors,” Hitori said sleepily, “But whatever.”

“I made some sausages for breakfast,” Yuuya said, “Do you want anything else?”

“Sausages?”

“Yes. Actual beef sausages…” Yuuya smiled mischievously, “Unless, you know…”

That joke earnt Yuuya a slap. 

“Get me my phone,” Hitori said with a yawn – so Yuuya fetched his phone from the nightstand. Hitori scrolled through some things, tapping the screen a few times. 

The doorbell suddenly rang, breaking the silence. 

“Must be the postman,” Yuuya said as he left the room – “Be right back.

 

“Oh…”

Yuuya smiled sheepishly when he opened the door to find Leone outside – he was, after all, shirtless and only wearing a pair of green sweatpants. 

“M… morning, Leone!” Yuuya greeted with fake enthusiasm – mainly because he was nervous as fuck – “Didn’t expect to see you here…”

Leone didn’t say a word – only took out a magazine and some papers from behind him, and handed them to Yuuya. 

“So how did your little recon go?”

“Well, Hitori got to talk with Kawara,” Yuuya replied while opening an envelope – his credit card statement – “I was snooping around the area to see what kind of attendees were there – it is a public event, but a lot of the people who went had some sort of connection to the Hawks.”

“Anyone particularly interesting?”

“Ichijou Mino, the head of the Ichijou Corporation, was there…” Yuuya opened another envelope – the water bill – “And according to Hitori, Kawara has an assistant… name’s Isa Souma. I was going to look into him.”

“Pay your bills first, for God’s sake – I won’t give you a day off if your water or electricity gets cut off.”

“Have you eaten? We’ve got some sausages inside.” Yuuya opened the door wider, letting Leone go in. Hitori had just gotten out of the bedroom, noticing that Leone had walked in.

~•~

“You’re dressed up today.”

“Ah, well…” Ryouta smiled sheepishly, “Today is the first day I start my work, so…”

“That’s nice,” Sakuya said, sipping from his coffee – “What time will you be home tonight?”

“Hmm… around six, maybe,” Ryouta replied while putting on his shoes, “Don’t worry, Sakuya, if I don’t have time to cook dinner, I’ll buy something.”

 

Now that Sakuya thought about it, Ryouta had been living with him for about a month now, and he’d been a good housemate. 

Ryouta, for some reason, doesn’t go out very much – he just stays at home to clean up and watch TV sometimes. He calls Hiyoko a lot to talk about… many random things, but Sakuya felt like they weren’t about him – 

_ Still, Tosaka will probably come back soon… so Ryouta will have to leave too. _

_...yes, now that I think about it, he never told me his last name. _

_ Well, if he’s going to leave my house soon, I won’t have any use for it, will I? _

“I’m leaving, Sakuya!”

“Bye,” Sakuya yelled from inside, “Don’t get yourself hurt.”

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

“Alright, let’s take off this bandage, shall we?”

Utsuro only sat still as Ryuuji gently unwrapped the bandages around his head, and then took off the pad on his right eye. He took a mirror, letting Utsuro hold it – 

“Look at you!” Ryuuji said with a smile – “Your eyes look much better now, yeah?”

Utsuro remained silent, looking at his reflection on the mirror blankly – he then turned to look up at Ryuuji, who was still smiling at him.

“...doctor.”

“What is it, darling?”

“I still can’t see any colour.”

“Is that so…” 

Ryuuji kept smiling, running his hand through Utsuro’s hair – the boy was still staring at him blankly, silent.

“Sorry we can’t find the cause for that,” Ryuuji muttered softly, “But… Rei and I will make sure to take care of you, alright?”

“It’s alright,” Utsuro replied – his voice was cold and monotonous, like that of a robot’s – “As long as I can still see, it’s alright.

“Besides…”

Utsuro reached out his tiny hands towards Ryuuji, as if inviting him to come closer – so Ryuuji did, taking one of Utsuro’s hands.

“Doctor,” Utsuro whispered – so soft, Ryuuji could barely hear it – “As long as you’re still here with me, it’s going to be alright.

“I don’t want to be alone again, doctor. My parents aren’t here anymore, and… I don’t have anyone to live with anymore.”

Utsuro wrapped his arms around Ryuuji’s neck and pulled him closer, resting his head on Ryuuji’s shoulder.

“Doctor, can you be my dad?”

“If you want me to, darling.”

~•~

_ I wonder how different things would’ve been had it not been for Kawara-sensei. _

Isa gently ran his hand through Ryuuji’s hair – 

Ryuuji was fast asleep, his head rested on Isa’s lap. It had been a rather long day, after all.

It felt strangely calming, watching his chest rise and fall regularly like that. Isa couldn’t help but feel that he might fall asleep himself.

 

For some reason, Isa could never see Ryuuji as a father…

Perhaps because Isa had known his father before, and couldn’t quite forget him – although he had forgotten what his father was like, now. 

Isa’s only memory of the first four years of his life now was that he was lonely.

Even when those were also the times his parents were physically there, with him. 

 

If possible, he would like to forget those four years. 

It would be the perfect solution, wouldn’t it? Then all he’d know was that Ryuuji had been his father all along, regardless of whether or not it’s true. 

A beautiful lie is better than the harsh truth, after all. 

~•~

“There’s something I want to ask of one of you.”

Leone placed an envelope on the table, which Yuuya immediately took and opened – 

“Consent for experimental treatment…?” He turned to Leone, “Wow, this can’t get more straightforward, can it?”

“We only need one of you to be in it,” Leone said, “Just in case anything happens, the other can help.”

“I’ll do it.” “I’ll do it.”

Yuuya and Hitori turned to look at each other, in a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

Leone calmly sipped some of the coffee Yuuya just gave him, watching quietly – 

 

“Now, mon cheri, I’m going to do it, because I’m not putting you in that kind of danger.”

“No, I swear to god you’re going to get yourself killed, and I’m not letting that happen.”

“Well, you almost got killed a few times, and who bailed you out? You guessed it – me.”

“Yes, but you’re also terrible at killing people, and I have to do it for you all the time.”

“This mission doesn’t require us to kill,” Yuuya turned to Leone, “Does it?”

“Unless you find it absolutely necessary,” Leone replied calmly, “If possible, bring him back for questioning – ”

“See? I can do it!”

“No. Leone,” Hitori turned to Leone, “Tell him off.”

“It’s not my decision, it’s between the two of you,” Leone sighed – “You guys can take your time discussing – I’ll wait.”

“Someone has to stay back and take care of Nageki, Hitori,” Yuuya said, “Or are you expecting me to do it for you if you die?”

“Well, someone needs to take care of Sakuya as well,” Hitori shot back, “And my Nageki knows how to take care of himself, unlike that snotty brother of yours.”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT ––”

“Don’t yell, Sakazaki.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Yuuya took a deep breath before turning to Hitori, “But I’m telling you for the hundredth time, Sakuya isn’t snotty, and he can take care of himself better than me.”

“You don’t even know how to use the washing machine.”

Yuuya sighed, “Fine, yes, you’re right, sorry I ruined your shirt.”

“Alright, it’s settled, I’m –”

“Nononono what’s that? I thought we agreed I’m the bigger trash here?”

“I said take your time,” Leone said again, “It’s an important decision.”

Hitori and Yuuya once again glared at each other, furious. 

“It’s for your own good, Hitori,” Yuuya said, “Plus, you’ve already got a problem with your sleep cycle. Let’s not make it worse.

“And besides, dying is in my job description, so…” Yuuya shrugged, “If I’m paid to possibly go die, I should go and risk my life a bit.”

“It’s decided, then,” Leone said before Hitori could say anything else – “Go say bye to your brother or something, Sakazaki, and fill out that form.”

~•~

“...so you’re here just to show off your boyfriend?”

“Oh, come on, Sakuya! Just say you’re jealous of me!”

Sakuya only sighed as he placed two cups of tea on the table. 

Yuuya and Hitori were sitting on the couch, with Hitori nervously looking around the living room – everything seemed so much better compared to Yuuya’s apartment, it was hard to believe Sakuya and Yuuya were related at all. 

Well, their names rhyme, so at least there’s that. 

“My name’s Uzune Hitori,” Hitori introduced himself, “Also, just to be clear – Yuuya never specifically asked me out, but before we knew it, everyone in the office said we were dating, so I guess we are… lovers?”

“Way to go, gentleman,” Sakuya said as he sat down, “How long have you guys been dating?”

“A few months now,” Yuuya replied while taking a cup of tea.

“Are you guys getting married or something?” Sakuya asked, “I mean, there’s no much reason to take him to see me otherwise.”

“No, nothing like that.” 

“So you are here just to show off your boyfriend…” Sakuya sighed, “...salaud.”

“This house seems a lot cleaner than I remember!” Yuuya remarked, ignoring the insult from his brother – “Did you hire a maid?”

“I have a housemate now… he’s pretty good at cleaning the house.”

“Oh, and to think you didn’t tell me!”

“He’s supposed to live with Tosaka,” Sakuya explained, “But she was in an accident and asked me to take him in, so I did. He’s moving out soon since he already found his own apartment.”

“I guess he’s using my room now?” Yuuya asked, “Do you guys fuck or something?”

“Not at all.” Sakuya sighed, “You see, Yuuya, unlike you, I’m not a whore.”

“What’s his name?”

“Ryouta,” Sakuya replied – “I think he’s coming home soon from work… boy, I wonder what he’ll say to you after seeing your collection of gay porn – ”

“Ryouta?”

Yuuya turned to Sakuya, his eyes as wide as china, surprised. 

“Kawara Ryouta?”

“He… never told me his last name, for some reason…

“B… but why?” Sakuya turned to look at Hitori, who seemed equally surprised – “I mean, he’s not a criminal or anything, right?”

“What does he look like?”

“Blue hair… not our kind of blue, Yuuya, like, darker blue,” Sakuya explained, “And he has red eyes. He said it’s a recessive genetic condition or something.”

“We need to talk to him,” Hitori said, “He’s coming home soon, isn’t he?”

“Wait, I don’t really understand what’s happening…”

“It’s best if you stay out of this,” Hitori said, “Just… sit back and let us deal with it.”

 


	11. Chapter 11

“Ryouta, you have to take care of your father, alright?”

“Yes… I will, mama. I’ll try my best to always look out for him, I promise.”

“I’m glad to hear that from you, my child. Think about it, I made Isa promise the same exact thing, too…

“But listen to me, Ryouta.”

“Yes, mama?”

“There will be times when you feel like your father isn’t right, and… and perhaps he isn’t. You don’t have to agree with him or help him doing something you feel isn’t right, but…

“But I ask… that you forgive him, Ryouta.”

~•~

“Oh, hello there!”

Ryouta walked into the house, putting his bag down on the floor. He could see that Sakuya were talking with two guests in the living room – one of them looked a lot like Sakuya, only slightly taller and having glasses, while the other had black hair, and was wearing a red scarf.

“You must be Yuuya,” Ryouta guessed, “I’m Ryouta. I’ve been using your room when I live here… sorry about that.”

“Ah, it’s alright, mon amie!” Yuuya said, “It’s an honour that someone as fabulous as you is using my room!”

“I’m… not that great, really,” Ryouta said, “I’m just an average citizen.”

“And this is Hikaru, my boyfriend,” Yuuya said, nudging the other man in the arm, “I’m just introducing him to Sakuya, you see.”

“Stop showing off your boyfriend to everyone,” Sakuya sighed, “We know he has a nice ass.”

“Are you guys hungry? It’s about time for dinner,” Ryouta said, running to the kitchen – “I’ll make some salad.”

“Don’t worry about it, Ryouta,” Sakuya said, petting the space next to him, “Yuuya already ordered pizza. Just sit here and chat with us.”

“Alright, if you say so,” Ryouta said as he sat down next to Sakuya –

 

Yuuya sure looked a lot like the he did in the pictures Sakuya had all over the house, although he never wore glasses in any of them. According to Sakuya, Yuuya isn’t his blood brother – they have the same mother, but Yuuya was from their mother’s first marriage, while Sakuya from her second.

Still, Yuuya looked quite a lot like Sakuya – they shared the same blue eyes and hair, although Sakuya seemed to be a lot more strict compared to Yuuya.

Hikaru was pretty good looking, too – his build was slim, and his brown eyes seemed gentle. He seems to be a lot calmer compared to Yuuya, too – their personalities should balance out.

 

“So, what’s your family like, Ryouta?”

“Ah, well, my mum died three years ago,” Ryouta replied, “My dad is nice. He’s always busy with his work, though…

“Wait, why are you guys asking about this…” he turned to Sakuya, “You’re not thinking about…”

“Oh, no, not at all!” Yuuya cut in, “Nothing like that at all. I’m just curious.”

“Are you close to your father?”

“We used to be close,” Ryouta replied, still smiling – “But he’d started coming home less after mum died, and…” He shrugged, “Yeah.”

The doorbell rang, and Ryouta immediately got up from his seat – almost as if he was eager to leave.

“Must be the pizza,” he said – “I’ll go pick it up.”

“I haven’t paid,” Sakuya said, “Can you pay them for now? I’ll pay you back.”

 

“That’s him, Hitori.”

“Yes, any blind and deaf man can tell.”

“How are we going to convince him to come with us? He doesn’t seem to want to talk about it too much.”

“Just like how you don’t wanna talk about your stepfather, Yuuya.”

“Hey,” Sakuya called, “Can you two like, not whisper to each other and actually talk to me?”

“Oh, sorry, Sakuya,” Yuuya said without turning away from Hitori, “Give us a second.”

“I’ll talk about it with him,” Hitori whispered, “Take Sakuya somewhere else. We don’t need him to get involved.”

“I told him I’m a programmer, Hitori – won’t be very funny if I get an arrest warrant out of my ass for this kid.”

“Well, put him to sleep, then.”

“Alright!” Yuuya got up and walked towards Sakuya, “Let’s get some plates for the pizza, Sakuya!”

“Can’t you do that yourself?”

“Oh, come on, Sakuya, I need to get some Coke too, and glasses for everyone…”

Sakuya only sighed as he stood up, and followed Yuuya into the kitchen. Hitori stood up, holding a knife behind his back –

 

“I’ve got Coke, and that’s it.”

“That’ll do,” Yuuya replied as he opened the cupboard, taking out some plates.

“What do you think of Ryouta, by the way?” Sakuya asked, opening the fridge – “He’s very polite and kind, isn’t he?”

“So he cleans the house for you, thus the free rent?”

“And cooks sometimes,” Sakuya replied – “He doesn’t seem to have a lot of friends, though. He doesn’t go out except for work.”

“What about money?” Yuuya asked, “Does he pay for his own things, or do you pay for him?”

“Why would I? Of course he pays for his own things.” Sakuya sighed, “Except cleaning supplies, because this is my house, I guess.”

Yuuya put down the plates on the counter, and then took out a syringe out of his pocket.

“But he told me he found an apartment, so I guess he’ll move out soon,” Sakuya said – ”It’ll be kind of lonely without him around here.”

Sakuya was grabbed the bottle of coke sitting at the bottom of the fridge before turning to Yuuya again.

“I mean, not that I’m…” He paused upon seeing what’s Yuuya was holding – “What’s that in your hand?”

“Oh, it’s ketamine! Don’t worry, it’s a rather mild dose,” Yuuya replied – “I just need to you be asleep for… about thirty minutes or so?”

“Wait –”

  


“Where’s Sakuya and Yuuya?”

“He’s with Yuuya in the kitchen,” Hitori replied as Ryouta walked back in with the pizza – “They should be coming soon. What pizza did Yuuya order?”

“I think… it’s chicken and pineapple.”

“...well,” Hitori sighed and shook his head somberly, “He’s not getting laid anytime soon.”

“No, I definitely am getting laid tonight,” Yuuya said – he’d suddenly reappeared and was walking back into the living room. He took the box of pizza from Ryouta’s hand, smiling brightly. “Why, thank you! I should pay you back… how much was it?”

“It’s fifteen dollars…” Ryouta looked around, confused – “Where did Sakuya go?”

“He fell asleep, so I carried him back to his room!” Yuuya replied while sitting down – “He’s probably going to wake up soon, so let’s get this done with quickly…

“Kawara Ryouta.”

Ryouta visibly stiffened up upon hearing his name.

“Oh, don’t worry, this will be a pleasant conversation as long as you want it to be,” Yuuya said, tearing off a slice of pizza – “You want some pizza?”

“What do you want from me?” Ryouta asked, his tone slightly more aggressive, “Is this about my father?”

“If you want it to be.”

“Oh, who am I kidding here, of course it’s about my father,” Ryouta said with a sigh –

“I’m not telling you anything. I don’t want him to die.”

“We’re not trying to kill anyone,” Yuuya said, “We just want answers.”

“Answers that will help in you guys considering whether my dad is worth killing,” Ryouta said, “Then why do I have to give it to you guys? I’m still his child, you know.”

“You’re right,” Hitori said, “And you don’t have to tell us anything about Kawara Ryuuji, if you so wish.”

“Well, then that’s it,” Ryouta said, smiling – “I guess you guys should go back now. I’ll deal with Sakuya…”

“Tell us why you’re here, Ryouta,” Hitori cut – “Why did you run away from home?”

Ryouta fell silent, glaring daggers at Hitori – 

“...I simply moved out,” Ryouta replied – “I can’t live with my dad forever.”

“Fair enough,” Hitori said – he could see that Yuuya was about to say something, but Hitori pinched him by the arm slightly, stopping him.

“You told us he started coming home less after your mother died,” Hitori went on, “Why?”

“He’s… just busy,” Ryouta replied – Yuuya noticed that Ryouta was holding his right hand with his left – “Doing… work.”

“How does Isa Souma play into this?” Hitori continued to ask – “Is he simply your father’s assistant?”

Ryouta fell silent, still holding his hands together.

Silence hung uncomfortably in the air – as fragile as thin glass, that if it was to be broken, everything would come crashing down.

 

Ryouta looked down at the floor, as if he had frozen in place. 

He was holding his arm, where it was bleeding before – 

 

“Please…

“Please don’t… kill them.”

  



	12. Chapter 12

“Ah, Ryouta! Are you here to see Dr. Kawara?”

“Hello, Ms. Mami,” Ryouta greeted, “Yes… I figured he might need some fresh clothes.”

“Yeah, he hasn’t gone home in a week, has he?” she asked, sighing – “Really, he’s been like this ever since Rei died. It makes me sad, too…”

“At least Isa’s making sure he eats properly.”

“Yes – Isa’s very attentive,” she said while writing Ryouta’s name in the visitor’s list – “He’s really grown attached to your dad, hasn’t he?”

“He’s always been,” Ryouta replied – “But it’s alright. Isa is really nice to everyone.”

“Alright, here’s your visitor card,” she said, placing a card in front of Ryouta – “Tell him I said hi, alright?

“By the way,” she called as Ryouta walked away – “If he’s not in the office, try the basement lab.”

“The basement?”

“He gave me the paperwork to be allowed to use it months ago,” she replied, “So he might be working on something there – but try his office first.”

 

Ryouta walked past the busy halls to the elevator at the end, and pressed number five.

At this point, he knew the hospital’s locations like the back of his hand. Ryuuji often brought him to work, so he knew exactly how to get to Ryuuji’s office and surgery room and whatnot, a few of his fellow doctors, and some of the nurses – like Ms. Mami downstairs. Now that Ryouta thought about it, they must’ve known each other for at least ten years…

The elevator arrived at the fifth floor – Ryouta walked down the hallway, making a right turn after the ice cream vending machine –

Ryuuji’s office looked dark from the outside, so he must be out. 

Ryouta turned around, walking back to the elevator. 

 

Ryouta had visited the basement lab a few times before, but didn’t particularly like it. Mostly because there were big machines that make loud whirring sounds whenever a person got in it –

He grew to understand what they are for, but he still didn’t like it. Even though it was brightly lit and clean, even though there was most definitely nothing dangerous there. 

 

“Papa?”

There was nobody in sight. 

Ryouta looked around – someone had definitely been here recently, since there were cups of coffee and water lying around, partially empty. 

Ryouta put down the bag he’d been carrying, and started to walk around the room. 

_ Maybe he’s in the toilet _ , Ryouta thought.  _ He’ll be back soon.  _

_ Still, this is strange… I don’t see Isa either. Maybe they’re doing a surgery? _

 

Suddenly, he heard the click of a door.

Ryouta turned to around, and saw the door to the storage room swing open, just a few steps to his right –

A young woman walked out, looking forward blankly. Her face was expressionless – she was wearing a smile that seemed rather forced. She looked as if she was in a haze –

“May I help you?”

“Ah, hello,” she said, noticing Ryouta – she started to walk towards him, still smiling. 

“You’re not an employee,” Ryouta said – “May I ask what you were doing in the storage room?”

“I was…”

Ryouta noticed now, that she was holding a pair of scissors in her right hand. 

“Get out, Ryouta!” 

Ryuuji rushed out of the room, panicked – 

The woman raised her hand, and slashed it towards Ryouta. 

Ryouta quickly hopped away, but she had slashed his right arm quite deep – it hurt for a split second, but after that there was just a lot of blood, some dripping on the floor. 

The woman was about to start slashing again when Ryuuji pushed her down from behind and sat on her back, causing her to fall over – he quickly took out a syringe, trying to inject her on the neck, but she was struggling and wriggling under him, unable to stay still. 

“Don’t make me kill you, now,” Ryuuji shouted – but she didn’t seem to be listening, continuing to struggle under him – 

Isa then came out from the storage room, a knife in hand. Ryuuji grabbed the woman by her head, slamming it down on the floor and holding it there –

 

Ryouta heard a loud scream as the knife went through her skull –

Before silence took over – the longest, most deafening silence. 

~•~

“What then?”

Ryouta shook his head with a sigh. 

He could feel the anger rising in his chest as he remembered the events of that day –

 

The woman, collapsed on the floor, her blood slowly forming a pool around her body. 

He could remember Ryuuji crying. Why?

Isa standing next to him, shocked – the blood from the impact still on his white coat –

 

“Ryouta, I’m sorry.”

 

But he, for some reason, couldn’t bring himself to feel angry or sad. 

And thus he had no idea how to feel. 

 

“If I wasn’t there, they wouldn’t need to kill her…

“He… They… were just trying to protect me. And now… I’ve ruined everything.”

 

Hitori got up from his seat, and grabbed Ryouta by his shoulders. 

“Ryouta.”

“I’m sure he never meant to do anything bad,” Ryouta sobbed, “He… he’s just trying his best.”

“Yes, but if it involves killing people, as you saw that day – ”

“You can’t kill my dad,” Ryouta said, “He’s the only person Isa’s got in this world, you see.

“I’m going to be fine. I… I can always find other people to support me. I still have Hiyoko to support me, but Isa… he really doesn’t have anyone else.”


	13. Chapter 13

“Mr. Saito?”

Yuuya smiled as he closed his magazine and got up from the chair. 

“Oh boy, is it my turn already?” he asked, walking past the nurse – “Frankly, I’m somewhat scared… this feels like going to the dentist.”

“I assure you Dr. Isa isn’t scary like that,” the nurse said, smiling – “He’s waiting for you inside.”

 

And she was right. 

Upon walking in, Yuuya could see Isa Souma, sitting behind the desk, reading some documents. 

The air felt somewhat tense – the smell of antiseptic lingered in the air, the walls were painted white, and the air conditioning was cold.

 

“Hello there, Dr. Isa!”

Isa Souma turned to look at him, his purple eyes cold and expressionless, before turning back to read. 

“...good afternoon.”

Yuuya took a seat in front of Isa’s desk, scanning what was on the desk – mostly patient documents, a red notebook, an untouched cup of coffee, a mug filled with pens, and a few packs of M&M’s. On the cork board behind him, there were papers filled with board meeting schedules, pictures of the human anatomy, and a family photo – 

Yuuya could immediately recognize Isa, who seemed much younger, with much shorter hair; Ryouta, still very young, maybe about five years old; Kawara Ryuuji, and a woman with long, dark hair, tied to the side. 

“Saito Yuichiro?”

“That’s me!”

“Today you will be taking part in an experiment to test the brain device made by Dr. Kawara,” Isa explained, cold and businesslike – he handed Yuuya a form, and then a pen. “Please sign this consent form.”

“What effects will this device have on me?”

“You might feel nauseated and disoriented for the first few days, but everything should be alright after that,” Isa explained, “If these persist for more than a week, you can always come back to see me.”

“Sounds very convincing.” Yuuya picked up the pen and signed his name where it said, ‘sign here’, and handed the form back to Isa.

“May I ask a random question, doctor?” Yuuya pointed at the photo on the cork board, “Is that woman your mother?”

“No,” Isa replied immediately, “That’s Dr. Kawara’s late wife, Rei.”

“You seem pretty close to his family, huh?”

“I’ve known them for… perhaps twenty years, or more,” Isa replied, “And no I have a few questions for you –

“Are you taking any medication?”

“No.”

“Any allergies?”

“Eggs.”

“What about your family medical history?”

“Nothing that I know of.”

“Any other medical conditions I should know before we begin?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Very well, then,” Isa got up from his seat, “Please lie down on the bed over there.”

“Wow, this is starting to sound a bit… suggestive,” Yuuya said as he walked over – Isa didn’t seem fazed by it though, only grabbing a pair of rubber gloves and putting them on. 

“Will I be sedated?”

“Yes, but don’t worry, it’ll be a very mild dose,” Isa said – Yuuya felt himself sighing internally, since he just said that to Sakuya yesterday. “You’ll wake up in a matter of hours.”

Isa opened the fridge, taking out a small box. Yuuya watched quietly from his seat as Isa set it on the operating table, and took out a syringe from inside.

The door suddenly creaked open, and – 

 

“Ah, is this the new subject?”

“Yes, Kawara-sensei.”

Ryuuji grabbed a chair, sitting down next to Yuuya’s bed. 

He was smiling brightly, the edges of his lips pulled up and his eyes closed – 

 

Yuuya could feel a part of him shudder. 

For some reason, he couldn’t read anything on that face. Isa just seemed cold and distant, but Ryuuji – 

– it was almost as if the smile was merely a mask.

 

“Why, I didn’t expect the great Kawara Ryuuji to perform the surgery himself!”

“Haha! Well, Isa-kun can do it, really,” Ryuuji said while putting on a pair of gloves himself, “But thanks to an accident when he was young, he can only use his left hand, so… it’s not ideal, you see.”

Isa walked over, holding a basin with alcohol, the syringe with anesthesia, and a small box – which Yuuya guessed would have the device.

“So may I ask why you decided to undergo this experimentation?”

“I’ve been having insomnia, you see,” Yuuya replied – “And since I was told this device will be able to help with my sleep cycle, I thought I’d give it a shot.”

“Good decision! Please roll out your sleeve now…”

Yuuya did, rolling up the sleeve on his left arm. Ryuuji placed his finger there, trying to feel for his veins, before putting some alcohol there. He then took the syringe from Isa, and injected it into Yuuya –

 

“So, Sakazaki Yuuya, why are you here?”

Yuuya felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing the question. 

He was certain that name wasn’t supposed to anywhere on the documents for the hospital – Hitori had arranged him some fake IDs as Saito Yuichiro, and – 

“You seem surprised,” Ryuuji remarked, his tone as calm and casual like when he walked in – “Of course, since I work with the Hawk Party, they know a thing or two about the government sending people to spy on us…

“Not that I mind, really! This device isn’t harmful at all.”

Yuuya only anxiously watched as Ryuuji continued to press the plunger, draining the contents of the syringe into his blood. Yanking his arm away would be useless at this point, with half of the anesthetics already in his system.

“Well, back at you, doctor,” Yuuya said – “Why make a device to control people’s minds?”

“Because I believe the world is unfair,” Ryuuji answered, “And this is how I’m going to change it.”

“So that people become your slaves?”

“So that people can start behaving like they should,” Ryuuji explained – “I mean, sure, to you government dogs, it seems like I’m doing such a bad thing – but I’m not, really. I just want to see people be at peace with each other.”

“There are many ways to do that, even without mind control.”

“You know,” Ryuuji sighed, “When she was still alive, Rei would always tell me,

_ “If you truly believe this world is unfair and terrible, then that’s fine. _

_ “I mean, nothing can be perfect in reality, you see. No matter how hard we try, that’s just the truth. The world is flawed, and it will always be. _

_ “So isn’t it up to us to decide what we want, and how we want to live? If we want to change the world, shouldn’t we be allowed to change it as we want – it’s our right as the citizens of this world, isn’t it?” _

 

Yuuya wanted to tell him that’s wrong, that’s not how it should be – but his consciousness was starting to slip away. Everything was blurring away into the darkness –

Yuuya clenched his fist, trying to maintain his sensations. 

“So tell me.”

Ryuuji sounded distant, for some reason. Yuuya could tell Ryuuji was still there, since he could still make out his blue hair and red eyes –

“Where is Ryouta?”

 

“...who’s that?”

“My son,” came the reply, “He’s been missing for a few months.”

“Maybe the police will know,” Yuuya replied, “Have you considered filing a missing person report?

“I mean, sure, I work for the government, but looking for missing kids isn’t in my job description.”

There was a bit of silence – Yuuya closed his eyes, too tired to try to keep it open, and so he could hear everything –

The rustle of papers, the low murmuring sound of the air conditioner, his own breathing. 

“...well,” he could hear Ryuuji sigh, “What a shame.”

And then everything was silent. 

~•~

  
  
  
  
  



	14. Chapter 14

“I killed her…”

Isa dropped his knife, which hit the floor with a clink. 

He stared at the pool of blood at the floor, with the dead body next to it – 

 

It felt horrible. 

A few second ago, she was still moving, struggling, but now… 

Not anymore. 

 

“Kawara-sensei, I…”

He turned to Ryuuji – he could feel his body trembling, could feel the blood rush throughout his body, making his heart beat so hard it felt as if it could jump out at anytime – 

 

_ “Mum…” _

_ “Run, Utsuro... You have to get out of here.” _

_ “But… I can’t leave you like this… I don’t want to go alone.” _

_ She grabbed the boy’s arm, staring straight into his eyes.  _

_ Her head was bleeding from the impact of broken windows, and half her body had been crushed under the rubble. Even if the boy could clear it out in time, she probably wouldn’t be able to walk anymore –  _

 

_ “Run, or those terrorists will kill you, Utsuro.” _

 

“Isa, it’s alright.”

Ryuuji held Isa tightly in his arms. Isa’s whole body was trembling, and his breathing was labored, as if he’d just seen a demon.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Ryuuji said, “She was trying to attack Ryouta. If you hadn’t killed her, he’d be dead.”

“But I…” Ryuuji could hear the crack in Isa’s voice – “I… I killed…”

“You had to, Isa. It’s not your fault.”

“Kawara-sensei,” Isa sobbed, “I’m… I’m scared… I don’t know why…”

“Nobody’s going to know,” Ryuuji whispered, gently patting Isa’s back to calm him down. “I’ll tell everyone I did it and you just happened to be there, alright?”

“Back then… back then, when mum died…”

Isa suddenly found himself unable to speak, despite having so many things he wanted to say – as if his voice was stuck on his throat, unable to come out.

 

_ “Run, as far as you can. They’re bad, and wants to kill people.” _

_ “But… but mum, what about you?” _

_ “It doesn’t matter, Utsuro. What matters to me is that you make it out of here.” _

_ She let go of his arm, and pushed him away.  _

 

Isa fell silent, save for his soft sobs.

He held Ryuuji closer, his grip tightening around Ryuuji’s back, the blood in his hands staining Ryuuji’s dirty lab coat – 

 

“Kawara-sensei, I’m… I’m scared. I don’t want to die...”

~•~

Yuuya was lying on the bed, still unconscious thanks to the effect of the medicine. His hands were now tied to the railing of the bed, and Ryuuji had taken some knifes and a gun out of his pockets. 

 

“Are you sure it’s alright to keep him in here?”

“That’s the only way we can question him,” Ryuuji replied, “I still think he knows where Ryouta is – he’s just hiding it from me.”

“The guards found someone behaving suspiciously on the hospital grounds,” Isa said, “He managed to escape, though.”

“That’s alright,” Ryuuji said, smiling – “He’ll come back for his friend, I hope.”

~•~

Hitori hid behind a garbage can, quickly taking off his black trench coat, revealing a green hoodie beneath. He placed the trench coat in the garbage can, and then took off his scarf and folded it into his pocket. 

There were people with guns chasing him earlier, so he had to run out of the hospital and escaped down the street. He was hiding in an alley now – where it stunk like hell – but he decided to keep the gun in his hand, just in case one of them suddenly found him.

_ Where’s Yuuya? What happened to him? _

Hitori put the gun in his kangaroo pocket, running out onto the streets. 

He heard it again – people shouting, and heavy footsteps, getting louder by the minute.

_ I can’t shoot here, and they can’t shoot either – if they really are hired by the Hawks, they wouldn’t want to get found out now. _

_ I should go to a police station. _

Hitori pushed past the crowd, both his hands hidden in the pocket, and running as fast as he could. The team that was searching for him seemed to have caused quite a commotion at the back – 

Hitori ran across the street, barely dodging a van and another car, and ran into a coffee shop. 

Everyone there seemed to turn their eyes towards Hitori as he walked in, but he decided to pay them no mind. He walked into the bathroom, where there was a middle-aged man taking a piss – 

Hitori got into one of the stalls and locked it behind him, then took out his phone. 

Yuuya wasn’t picking up.

_...well, I’d better get out of here, because if they catch me here, I’m pretty much in a dead end.  _

He took out his phone, looking at the map for a second – the closest police station was ten minutes on foot – not bad.

Hitori flushed the toilet and rushed out of the stall. The middle-aged man was still there, looking at him in confusion.

“You okay, young man?”

“I’m looking for a friend,” Hitori replied with a smile, “It’s alright.”

He walked out of the cafe, nearly being chased for coming in without buying anything – the employee was easy to shoo off once Hitori gave him some money.

The people who were chasing him could no longer be seen for now – Hitori wasn’t quite sure what to do with this knowledge…

_ It’s probably a good thing, though. _

~•~

“Boss, it’s Hikaru. Yuichiro’s still in the hospital – seems like he won’t be released anytime soon.”

Hitori hung up and walked out of the phone booth. It’s been half an hour now, and no signs of the squad who went after him – 

_...it’s probably safe to leave now. _

He flicked the safety on his gun back on, and walked away, still keeping it in his pocket. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am trying everyone (is this close to the end) i don't know but i'm trying


	15. Chapter 15

“Where are you going?”

Ryouta turned to the voice, startled – Sakuya was standing by the door, watching him.

“Ah, Sakuya…”

“You’re packing your things,” Sakuya remarked as he walked into the bedroom, “Are you going somewhere?”

“I’m moving out of here,” Ryouta replied calmly while folding his clothes. There was a gym bag on the floor – there were some clothes already stored inside, and Ryouta bent over to put in a few more clothes.

“I thought your apartment won’t be ready till next month.”

“I’m going back home,” Ryouta replied, much to Sakuya’s surprise – 

“No.” 

Sakuya walked over, grabbing Ryouta’s arm – Ryouta tried to brush him off, but Sakuya’s grip on his arm only tightened.

“You’re not going anywhere, Ryouta.”

“Sakuya, I can’t…” Ryouta looked away, and Sakuya noticed now how wet his eyes were – “My dad wants me home, and so I’m going to go home.”

“You don’t want to, do you?” Sakuya asked, “You don’t have to, Ryouta, we can…”

“Sakuya.”

Ryouta turned to look at Sakuya again, a sad smile on his face. He put his free hand on Sakuya’s hand, squeezing it tightly.

“I… really appreciate your concern,” he muttered softly, “But I don’t want anyone to get involved in this.”

“So you’re asking me to turn a blind eye to this, even when you’re clearly suffering?”

“Yes,” Ryouta replied, resolute, “I don’t want anything to happen to you, or Hiyoko, or anyone else.”

Sakuya only sighed as he finally let go of Ryouta’s arm. He sat down on the Ryouta’s bed, looking at the clothes scattered all over the bed…

He lay down on the bed, on all of the clothes, looking up at the fan in the ceiling. 

 

“...what did Yuuya talk to you about?”

Sakuya sat up, turning to Ryouta. 

“Is that conversation with him what made you decide to go back?”

~•~

“Doctor Kawara, someone’s here to see you.”

“I’m busy right now,” Ryuuji replied, writing something down in his notebook, “Tell them I’ll be out there in…” He turned to glance at the clock, “Say, thirty minutes? Thanks, Mami.”

“It’s…” Mami shifted uneasily, “It’s Ryouta, your son, doctor.”

She could see Ryuuji’s hand instantly stop moving, as if he’d frozen in place, before turning to look at her.

 

“I see you’ve finally come to your senses.”

Isa sighed as he turned to look at the young man with light blue hair standing next to Ryouta. He seemed to be around the same age as Ryouta, and he was sharply dressed, wearing a white shirt and a grey vest, with a red ribbon tied around his neck. The young man looked familiar, for some reason...

Ryouta was standing in front of him, nervously looking down at the ground, his hand gripping the handles of his gym bag so tightly his knuckles turned white. The young man seemed rather worried about Ryouta, but said nothing.

Not that Isa could help it about Ryouta’s worry – Ryouta saw him killing a patient the last time they met, after all.

“So you’ve been living with this man all this time?”

“Not really,” Ryouta replied, his voice slightly trembling, “I… lived with Hiyoko for a while.”

“That’s not very appropriate.”

“Yes, so… I moved.”

“So why is he here?”

“I’m here to make sure everything is alright,” the young man replied in Ryouta’s place – “He seemed really worried about going home, so I decided to accompany him.”

That’s not exactly what happened, as you can guess – more like Sakuya insisted to go with Ryouta or he’d call for a police to go with him, and Ryouta had no option but to let him. 

Better him than the police, perhaps.

“...I appreciate your concern,” Isa said coldly, “But as you can see, everything is alright, so you can go.”

“Ryouta!”

They all turned towards the voice, and saw Ryuuji running down the hallway.

“Papa…”

“Ryouta!” 

Ryuuji immediately grabbed Ryouta by his shoulders, making Ryouta jump slightly, then proceeded to scan his body from head to toe.

“You’re alright, aren’t you? You’re not hurt?”

“I’m… alright,” Ryouta replied, forcing a smile – “I’ve been well.”

Ryuuji immediately brought Ryouta into his arms, holding him tightly. There were tears welling up in his eyes – 

“Oh, papa was so worried about you!” he said, his voice coarse – “I thought you were… you were…”

Ryuuji fell silent, only holding Ryouta as tightly as he could, crying into his shoulder.

~•~

“...it was quite emotional.”

Sakuya sighed as he took a sip of water. I could only stare at the wall in front of me – 

I mean, what am I supposed to say? I never expected it to end this way. 

I mean, I know for certain that Ryouta doesn’t want to go  home at all. I never really knew what was up between him and his dad, but I guess it can’t be good, if the way to settle it is by running away from home.

“Tosaka?”

“Well, what’s done is done,” I said, “I’ll call him later and make sure everything’s alright.”

“Are you angry that I let him go home?” Sakuya asked, “You sound like you are.”

“I just don’t know how to feel,” I replied, “I think he shouldn’t go home yet, but…”

“Why did he run away from home anyway?” Sakuya asked, “I mean, he never told me about it, and so I never really asked about it either.”

“I don’t really know,” I replied, “He just came to my house one day and stayed with me.”

And his arm was bleeding, but Sakuya doesn’t need to know about that, I guess.

He said he hurt his arm on a machine…

Frankly, I don’t believe it, but at this point, I don’t think he’ll want to tell me anything.

“At least you did bring him to the hospital… that’s a very gentleman gesture,” I said, “Picked it up from Yuuya?”

“God, let’s not talk about him,” Sakuya sighed, “He’s not a gentleman, he’s just an asshole.”

“Quite a mean thing to say about your brother, Sakuya.”


	16. Chapter 16

“So how have you been doing all this time, Ryouta?”

“I’ve been alright,” Ryouta replied, “I got a new job, and I’ve planned to rent an apartment.”

Ryuuji nodded, smiling happily. Isa was sitting next to him, glaring at Ryouta – 

But Ryouta could also see that it wasn’t all hatred and anger in Isa’s eyes – there was a bit of…  what seemed like relief, too.

None of them had brought up the events on the day Ryouta left, and Ryouta didn’t quite feel like bringing it up either. 

Even if all this friendliness and kindness Ryuuji and Isa and showing are just a facade,

_...at least I’d like to believe that everything’s fine. _

_ That it’s all… just my fault, just a misunderstanding. _

 

“You’ve gotten a bit thinner, haven’t you?” Ryuuji took more plates of food, sliding them towards Ryouta, “Eat all you want! Isa is a great cook, isn’t he?”

“But I’m full…”

“Have you tried the strawberry cake? It’s really good!” He turned to Isa, “Do we still have any in the fridge?”

“Unless you snuck out another one, we should,” Isa replied while getting up, “I’ll go get them.”

“Get one for me too, Isa!”

“No, you’ve eaten two pieces this morning, remember?”

 

_ “Rei, can I have another chocolate cake?” _

_ “No, Ryuuji.” _

_ Ryuuji held Rei’s hands, looking into her eyes with the best puppy eyes he could make. _

_ “Pleeeeease?” _

_ Rei chuckled lightly as she mussed his hair, but shook her head nevertheless. _

_ “We need to save some for tomorrow’s breakfast, alright, honey?” _

 

It all felt so reminiscent. 

But those days are gone forever now – 

The passage of time can’t be turned back.

 

“Are you angry at me, Isa?”

Isa turned to Ryouta, seemingly surprised by the question. 

Ryuuji was out – he said he’d forgotten something at the hospital, and had gone to retrieve it, and so Isa and Ryouta had been left to clean the dining room.

“...why do you ask?”

“It’s a closed question,” Ryouta replied, putting a bowl on the rack – “Are you?”

“Not anymore,” Isa replied readily, “I mean, I’d be lying if I say I was never angry at all, but…”

How should he put it?

Perhaps he was angry at not only at Ryouta, but at himself, too. 

After all, none of this incident would’ve happened had Ryouta not witnessed the murder at the basement. And the one to deal the finishing blow to that patient was…

 

_ “You didn’t do anything wrong. _

_ “She was trying to attack Ryouta. If you hadn’t killed her, he’d be dead.” _

 

And now that Ryouta had returned, perhaps, everything can be the same as before. 

So what if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have? Perhaps he’d forgotten it. That must be why he hasn’t brought it up at all. 

 

“...Kawara-sensei was really worried about you.”

Ryouta stopped washing the dishes, turning off the tap as he looked at Isa. Isa was looking down at his cup of water, his eyes solemn and cold.

“The few days after you disappeared, when nobody could call you, he… was really worried,” Isa muttered, “He thought he’d lost you forever.”

“If that’s the case, why did he stop searching?” Ryouta asked, “Because he believed I was dead or something?”

“That’s not a very nice thing to say.”

“That’s the only logical conclusion, Isa.”

“Either way,” Isa sighed, “At least you did come back, so it’s no big deal.”

Ryouta continued looking at Isa for a while, before turning on the water again and continuing with cleaning. 

 

“Sorry about this, Isa. All this time, you’ve helped papa so much, and all I can do is cause trouble.”

“I was just doing what I could,” Isa said, “And yes, you have caused a fair amount of trouble.”

“We both know you’ve been trying really hard,” Ryouta went on – 

“Ever since mama died, you’ve grown out your hair and tied it to the side, like she always used to do.”

Isa looked at his own hair – yes, it was pretty long for a man, falling beyond his shoulder, and it was tied to the side with a ribbon – but he’d never thought of it that way. 

“You’ve also learnt to cook all the dishes papa liked,” Ryouta said, smiling, “Although you never cooked before. It was always mama or me...

“Isa, you really try hard for papa’s sake.”

 

_...perhaps.  _

Ever since that day they met in the hospital, Kawara Ryuuji had always meant the world to Utsuro. 

Without him, little Utsuro would be so lost, so abandoned, in this cruel world. 

 

“...I’m just trying to help, Ryouta.”

Isa sighed as his mind travelled back to the day he first entered this house – Ryouta wasn’t even born then. 

But he remembered Rei, who tried to be a mother to him, who genuinely loved and cared for him. 

Utsuro was just scared. 

Scared of losing his mother again. 

Still, Rei reached out to him, tried to enter his heart. 

 

“You know I’m… not actually of this family, yes? That’s why I look so different from you, that’s why I never called him ‘father’? 

“It was… thanks to his kindness that I’m even still here, Ryouta.”

 

It was thanks to them that he learnt what it felt like to be loved, what having a family is like. 

If Ryuuji hadn’t met him that day, hadn’t adopted him – perhaps he would now be living miserably in some other house, or even dead. 

 

“I owe him more than I can ever pay back in a lifetime… or even in many.”

 

Ryouta put down the last plate, before walking to the table and sitting down next to Isa. Isa looked up to him – he looked like he was about to cry – but sighed and looked away. 

“It’s my fault that you ran away, isn’t it,” Isa muttered, “If you hadn’t seen me kill that patient, we’d be having a very different conversation right now…

“But I guess what I want to say is, Kawara-sensei is a good father. Maybe not perfect, but he’s trying.”

“...I know.”

“So please at least try to understand him,” Isa said, “He’s your father, after all. He’s always been patient and understanding with you too, yes?”

Ryouta gave a nod.

“I mean…” Isa could hear his own voice tremble, so he coughed a few times to clear it up. “I mean, when it comes down to it, I’m sure that everything he’s doing, he’s doing for your sake, and I’m just here to help him.”

“Then if I ask him to stop – if I ask that the two of you stop whatever this is,” Ryouta said, “Will you?”

 

Sakuya locked the door behind him as he entered his house, then took off his vest and placed it on the hanger. 

It was 8 PM, slightly past dinner time, but not to worry since Sakuya did stop by a shop to eat some spaghetti. 

It felt somewhat lonely now, since Ryouta moved out. 

Usually Ryouta would be in the kitchen, doing some of his work, which involved drawing clothes… sometimes Ryouta would ask for Sakuya’s opinion, no matter how unreliable it could be. 

_...well, he won’t be coming back here, I guess.  _

Sakuya could only sigh as he walked upstairs, into his room –

 

“There you are.”

Sakuya could’ve sworn his heart stopped when he walked into his bedroom to find Yuuya lying on his bed. 

Yuuya had all the buttons on his shirt undone, and a burning cigarette was tucked into his mouth – very dangerous, coupled with the fact that he was lying on his stomach, with his ass hanging in the air. He’d taken off his glasses, but was still fiddling with his phone. 

“Yuuya, what the…”

“I have the keys to this house too.”

“Yes, but…” Sakuya pointed at the cigarette, “Don’t you dare set this house on fire.”

“Alright, alright,” Yuuya sighed as he put out the cigarette on an ashtray on the nightstand – Sakuya had no idea how the ashtray got there, but anyway. 

“Where’s your friend?”

“Ryouta? He moved out,” Sakuya replied, “Back to his home, I think. Not too sure.”

“...so that’s why they released me.”

“What?”

“Nothing!” Yuuya replied, cheerful as always, “Wanna do me a favour, Sakuya?”

“Depends on what kind of favour.”

“Will you make me a Croque Monsieur? Without the eggs, as usual?”

There was a bit of silence as Sakuya proceeded to take off his shirt and got changed into a T-shirt –

Yuuya then felt a sharp pain on his ass, coming from Sakuya’s foot. 

“Oh, my fine French ass!”

“Sure, I’ll make you a Croque Madame, with two eggs,” Sakuya said coldly, ignoring the fact Yuuya was crying while vigorously rubbing his ass where he’d been kicked. 

“Are you trying to kill me?! You know I’m allergic!”

“Anyway, you should go make it yourself if you’re  _ that  _ hungry,” Sakuya said from outside, “I’ve got a paper to write.”

“Ahh… Hitori’s much nicer than you,” Yuuya whined, “Only he said he’s not ready to get married yet…”

“That’s just his excuse. He really doesn’t want to.”

“No, that’s not true,” Yuuya shouted, “He said something about… being unworthy of my love, and being unable to love me back…

“But that’s not true, Sakuya! I know the embers of love burns somewhere deep in his heart, and I only need to set it ablaze – ”

“Yuuya,” Sakuya sighed, walking back into the room, “Tell me again why someone as perfect and exemplary like Hitori would marry a trashbag like you.”

This question apparently struck Yuuya as interesting, because he fell silent, deep in thought. 

“Because I have a fine French ass, maybe?”

“...I never thought you’re a bottom.”

“Anyway, while you’re here, can you help me – ”

Sakuya turned and walked back out without saying anything. 

“That’s rude!” Yuuya whined again, “I just want you to look at this part of my head! It’s been itchy!”

“Alright,” Sakuya sighed, walking back into the room and sitting by Yuuya. Yuuya lifted a bit of his hair, revealing his left ear.

“Is there anything there? Like a scar?”

“There’s a red rash,” Sakuya observed, running his fingers through the area – he could feel a slight bump there, forming a line under the ear – “I don’t think it’s that serious. Maybe a bug bite?”

Yuuya fell silent for a second, feeling around that part. It felt warm earlier, and now Sakuya had confirmed something was going on there…

_...well, fuck me in the asshole.  _


	17. Chapter 17

“Hey, Yuuya?”

Sakuya opened the door to the bedroom with a sigh – only to sigh again when he found Yuuya on the bed, smoking. 

“Stop trying to set the house on fire,” Sakuya said, “I’m going to court.”

“Have fun.”

Sakuya was about to close the door again, but he didn’t, instead walking to Yuuya with a sigh. He sat down on the bed, next to Yuuya, who for no apparent reason was lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. 

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Come on, you’re not usually this quiet,” Sakuya said, “Did Hikaru dump you?”

“Hikaru…”

Yuuya sighed as he got up, looking out of the window. 

“Man, I miss him,” Yuuya sighed, “Not that we broke up or anything, but I don’t think I should see him right now…”

“Well, call him or text him then!”

“I lost my phone.”

“You could’ve told me!” Sakuya reached into his pocket, ready to get out his phone –

“He’s probably working, don’t wanna disturb him,” Yuuya sighed, “Didn’t you say you need to go to court? What for?”

“There’s a hearing on Hiyoko’s accident,” Sakuya replied, “I’m going to be a witness.”

“Is she the only one injured?”

“No, there are two others, I think.”

“Good stuff,” Yuuya replied, to which Sakuya cringed– “When is she going to be discharged from the hospital?”

“Next week, I think, but she won’t be able to work for a while.”

“I see.”

“You’re being sulky because you’ve been locking yourself in your room,” Sakuya sighed as he left, “Go outside! Jog, or go to a pub – what do you usually do?”

Yuuya sighed again as he put his cigarette on the ashtray.

Is there any point in going out aside from getting some air? 

Going to Hitori’s house isn’t an option, although he can probably get there on foot in half an hour… but he sure was worried. Did Hitori manage to escape the hospital safely?

“...I suppose I can use some fresh air.”

“Good,” Sakuya said proudly, “Remember to lock the door when you leave.”

~•~

_ “Colomb Technology Company, how may I help you?” _

“My ID is 448674.”

_ “One moment please.” _

 

Yuuya looked around the phone box at the people walking by – none of them showed any interest to him – who uses a phone box anyway?

Yuuya does, so that’s one, but maybe nobody else will. 

 

_ “...we thought you died.” _

Yuuya couldn’t help but sigh – Leone sounded surprised, but also angry. 

“It’s not that easy to get rid of me. I am in hiding, though.”

_ “My computer says this call comes from a phone box near your brother’s house. You call that hiding?” _

“At least I’m not running around shooting people.”

There was a bit of silence – maybe Leone is now questioning his life choices. Why did he ever recruit Yuuya at all?

“Anyway, how’s Hikaru?”

_ “He’s very worried about you, but he’s fine. There were people after him on the day you were caught. How did you make it out?” _

“...I don’t know, they just released me.”

 

Yuuya could only faintly remember that night, since he was still drugged. 

He was carried by two men to a dark alley, where the trash cans are. 

Isa Souma was standing by the back door, the room behind him was brightly lit compared to the dark alley. He only watched without saying a word – 

Or maybe he did say something – Yuuya was just too out of it to remember.

After the two men put him down, they disappeared back into the building, closing the door, 

And everything was dark again.

 

“...may have something to do with Ryouta.”

_ “I’m going to guess you threw away your phone.” _

“Good riddance, wouldn’t you say?”

Leone let out a sigh,  _ “Come to work today.” _

“I’m scared of the implant or whatever going off. That’s why I’ve been hiding.”

_ “You think your brother will be able to handle it when it goes off?” _

Now Yuuya fell silent.

He hadn’t really considered that – all he could really think about was to prevent hurting other people in public, especially his friends…

But Sakuya wouldn’t be able to do anything if he suddenly grabs a knife and decides to destroy everything, would he.

Yuuya sighed as he hung up the phone and walked out of the booth.

Nobody seemed to have noticed him – that’s good. Now just to make it back to Sakuya’s house –

Yuuya suddenly felt a hand grabbing his arm, and almost froze in place. He quickly turned around –

Standing behind him was a… girl? with long brown hair and wearing a long black dress and big framed sunglasses. They looked around anxiously, before turning to Yuuya and placed a finger over their lips. 

“May I help you?” Yuuya asked with a smile – maybe it’s just a foreigner asking for directions.

“Can you please follow me?”

Now this is sounding fishy. The stranger spoke with a hushed voice, almost as if afraid anyone would hear their exchange. 

“I’d like to, my dear, but I can’t just follow strangers for no reason.”

The stranger looked at Yuuya for a good while, seemingly rather frustrated that he wouldn’t do as they want, then sighed and took off their sunglasses. 

_...Ryouta? _

“Will you follow me now?” he asked putting his sunglasses back on, “Sorry, but I just have to disguise like this.”

“Pretty good,” Yuuya replied, “I would dare say you pulled it off better than my Hikaru did!”

“Yuuya, please – ”

“Also, you shouldn’t act so… how should I put it… nervously! Act natural, or you’ll be spotted in the crowd!” Yuuya said, “And where are you taking me? If we just need a place for a private conversation, we can just go to Sakuya’s house, since he’s out!”

Ryouta looked around again, before he looked down on the ground, considering his options. 

“...I guess that can work.”

~•~

Ryouta got into the house, followed by Yuuya, who locked the door behind him.

“Do you want something to drink? Or eat?”

“No, thank you…”

“I’ll make some toast,” Yuuya said, “Now that I think about it, I haven’t had breakfast.

“Anyway, what is it you want to talk about?”

“You did go see my dad, didn’t you?”

“Yes, and he put the implant or whatever he called it,” Yuuya replied, “I think he wanted me to lead him to you, because I was released immediately after you came home. I don’t suppose you know what to do with the implant?”

Ryouta shook his head with a sigh.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t worry about that!” Yuuya said as he flipped his toast, “So what are you here for?”

Ryouta took out his phone from his pocket, putting it on the table.

“I just thought you might want to know this,” Ryouta said, “I found… some old files, yesterday – they’re about Isa.”

“That sounds interesting.”

“And so these are the files about his adoption,” Ryouta said, “I took pictures, but… apparently Isa isn’t his real name.”

Yuuya walked over, taking a bite out of his steaming hot toast, and took Ryouta’s phone. Ryouta only watched as Yuuya scrolled through the pictures quickly – 

“Ichijou, huh?” Yuuya nodded, “Very interesting. I thought they all died in that incident…

“Thanks a lot for this,” Yuuya replied as he returned the phone, “I hope this information will become useful shortly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today in 'the author tried and did not even move the plot'  
> i will try my very best to finish this just. tell me what you expect and i'll try to kinda go from there bc i have no clear idea on how to proceed yet


End file.
